In case you were wondering if getting out's a good idea....

[CopilotDoug]

and I don't have to go through 10 years of bs, building my seniority and hoping the airline I work for dosen't go bankrupt. Took me 6 months to get to this point, with none of the associated bs.

The BS will come with time...trust me, you're still on the "honeymoon"
At my desk job, I was hired with three other individuals, after 9 months, I was the only one left. The company cut costs as they saw fit to keep their budget in check. Those were just the people I was hired with, it happened to several others, and by no means was fair at all. The b!tch of it was, the company found excuses in each case as to why they did not have to offer severance packages.

Again, that's the entire purpose of this section- to encourage those looking to make the same decision so many others have. I'm not the only one who bailed and is making a far better life out there; I'm just the minority. Sorry- I'm not going to "rah rah" this industry anymore, and I'll provide inspiration to anyone who wants to listen.

Again, come back in 6 months...then a year...then a year after that and tell me how grand life is. Sounds like you took what you perceived to be an "easier" path...everybody has to learn somehow.

Perhaps you can. Guess that makes you a better person than me.

Nobody is claiming to be better than anyone on here. Different strokes for different folks. What works for you won't necessarily work for others. I know people who have left the industry. Some are fine, other's are having a tough time dealing with it.

 

[gringo]

and I don't have to go through 10 years of bs, building my seniority and hoping the airline I work for dosen't go bankrupt. Took me 6 months to get to this point, with none of the associated bs.

The BS will come with time...trust me, you're still on the "honeymoon"
At my desk job, I was hired with three other individuals, after 9 months, I was the only one left. The company cut costs as they saw fit to keep their budget in check. Those were just the people I was hired with, it happened to several others, and by no means was fair at all. The b!tch of it was, the company found excuses in each case as to why they did not have to offer severance packages.

That's the real world, and it happens to every industry. Especially the airlines.

Again, that's the entire purpose of this section- to encourage those looking to make the same decision so many others have. I'm not the only one who bailed and is making a far better life out there; I'm just the minority. Sorry- I'm not going to "rah rah" this industry anymore, and I'll provide inspiration to anyone who wants to listen.

Again, come back in 6 months...then a year...then a year after that and tell me how grand life is. Sounds like you took what you perceived to be an "easier" path...everybody has to learn somehow.

I've been out for over a year now, and haven't looked back. First couple of months were hard, but just like any addiction, the longer you stay clean, the easier it gets.

Perhaps you can. Guess that makes you a better person than me.

Nobody is claiming to be better than anyone on here. Different strokes for different folks. What works for you won't necessarily work for others. I know people who have left the industry. Some are fine, other's are having a tough time dealing with it.

Again, just like any other industry.

[/QUOTE]

All right. First of all, I never said that it's easier on the other side. (And if I did, I retract that statement; I don't have the time nor desire to read through all of my previous posts to find out) If anything, I'm working harder than I ever did as an airline pilot. The difference is that when I come home to my wife (every night) I come home with a sense of accomplishment; I can point to things and say "I did that- I made that" or "I directed the people who created that thing out of nothing". As an airline pilot, the only sense of accomplishment I got was I got to read USA Today every day. About as much as a bus driver.

And secondly, did you even actually read the article on the first post? I even bold-printed the pertinent part, which I'll add here :


Consider this: Since 1947, the first year for which the Air Transport Association has profit-and-loss figures, the U.S. airline industry has lost a cumulative $14 billion. And that's after including the up to $3 billion the association estimates that airlines made last year.

If you ever took any basic entry level economics courses, you'd understand what I'm saying; in an industry that has, in the long run, NEVER made money, it is IMPOSSIBLE to expect any kind of rewarding long term career out of it, with very few exceptions. Those exceptions being your name followed with the initials C.E.O..

Yes, I understand that most of the money was lost post-9/11, but something else that I understand (and so many people here do not, or simply refuse to accept) is the the airline industry changed COMPLETELY with it- long gone are the glory days of Pan Am and TWA- say hello to the craphole it is today. Because it's here to stay. You will NEVER make anywhere NEAR as much as you once could have, and your QOL will NEVER, I repeat NEVER be nearly as good. NEVER. Pilots and air crew have become the new Greyhound Bus drivers of the 21st century, and it will always stay that way because Grandma and Grampa really really REALLY like paying only $200 to go to Florida roundtrip, when it costs 5 times as much to take the train.

Will you survive in the short run? Sure. You'll probably make decent money for a bit. But it won't last, no matter how much Kool Aid ALPA or whoever else pours down your throat.

But seriously, I wish you luck. I hope that time will prove me wrong, but I serously doubt it.

 

[CopilotDoug]

That's the real world, and it happens to every industry. Especially the airlines.

Not necessarily flying in general...what about Cargo? What about Corporate? What about fracs?

The difference is that when I come home to my wife (every night) I come home with a sense of accomplishment; I can point to things and say "I did that- I made that" or "I directed the people who created that thing out of nothing". As an airline pilot, the only sense of accomplishment I got was I got to read USA Today every day. About as much as a bus driver.

That's one thing I like about a career based in aviation: definite results. Sure, the desk job had its sense of accomplishment, but alot of times, you could work 2 or 3 months on a project to have it fizzle...or handed off to another team. The projects didn't have borders as well defined as flying, i.e. take-off, enroute, and landing.

And secondly, did you even actually read the article on the first post?

Actually, I didn't. But I did study the airlines in school and am familiar with their money losing trends. Very high fixed costs.

You will NEVER make anywhere NEAR as much as you once could have, and your QOL will NEVER, I repeat NEVER be nearly as good. NEVER. Pilots and air crew have become the new Greyhound Bus drivers of the 21st century.

Have you opened a newspaper lately? It's the new American fad. Where an average household in 1955 could be supported by a single income, it now takes TWO incomes to equal today. Look at the amount of work being shipped over seas and there is part of your answer. The difference between the average CEO pay and the average employee pay has never been so great in US business...and it's getting bigger! Give it 50 years and the US will be alot like Europe in many areas. People with 2-3 hour commutes to work because housing costs will be out of control in the urban areas.

And just for the record, I do agree with you that the airlines are in the $hitter, and it will get worse, sadly. But you can still make a living flying.

 

[Talian]

Copilot Doug, your killing me with that avatar...

 

[Papps]

This post is in civilian transition. If you like flying and don't want to quit then stop trolling around the C.T board slamming on people that are looking at other options.

Just like everything in life, some people love somethings and some people don't. If you love flying and rent a 172 on days that you are timed out then congrats, there are 20 boards on this website that are geared towards you.